Internal combustion engine



March 2, 1943. c. R. SMITH 2,312,500

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Fileq. June 7, 1940 BSheet-Sheet i 11/ I 111 III lNV ENTOR Clarence Ric/lard Sniff/7 BY? ATTORNEY March 2, 1943- c. R. SMITH 2,312,500

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed June 7, 1940 Y 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IIIII INVENTOR Clarence Rik/10rd Sm/fh ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 2, 1943 UNITED INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Clarence Richard Smith, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Application June 7, 1940, Serial No. 339,359

Claims.

This invention relates to an improved internal combustion engine.

An object of the present invention is the provision of an internal combustion engine in which the heat generated therein is used to better advantage.

Another object is the provision of an internal combustion engine in which the working piston is subjected to a greater average pressure throughout its power stroke.

Another object is the provision of means in an internal combustion engine for returning heat which passes through the cylinder head, back to the cylinder for further use.

Yet another object is the provision of means for increasing the volume of the air above the piston during its power stroke without decreasing the pressure by this operation.

A further object is the provision of means for reducing the amount of fuel necessary for producing a desired amount of power.

A further object is the provision of a gasoline engine in which a portion of the air may be compressed beyond the point at which the gasoline charge would ordinarily be fired by the heat compression. A further object is the provision of an internal combustion engine in which more complete combustion of the fuel takes place.

A still further object is the provision of a construction in which only a relatively small part of the air required is compressed to the peak compression.

With these and other objects in view, the present invention consists essentially of an internal combustion engine comprising a cylinder, a piston working in the cylinder, means for supplying fuel and air to the cylinder, an air chamber communicating with the cylinder adjacent the top thereof, said chamber being adapted to store compressed air, a valve-controlled exhaust port through which the exhaust gases are expelled from the cylinder, valve means for controlling the communication of the chamber with the cylinder, and means for opening and closing the valve means at predetermined intervals, as more fully described in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figures 1 to 3 are diagrammatic illustrations of one form of the invention, showing the piston at three different points in the cylinder,

Figures 4 to 6 are views similar to Figures 1 to 3, illustrating another form of the invention,

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line I----'! of Figure 2, and

Figures 8 to 10 are views similar to Figures 1 to 3 of another alternative.

Referring more particularly to Figures 1 to 3, I8 is a cylinder mounted on the base II, and I2 is a working piston operating in the cylinder I0, said piston being connected by a rod I 3 to a crank shaft I4, located in the base I I. An outer head I5 is formed on the cylinder I0, and spaced from an inner head I6 of said cylinder. An air chamber I1 is formed between the heads I5 and I6, and this chamber communicates with the interior of the cylinder II] by means of air ports I8, which are controlled by a sleeve valve 28 having ports 2I adjacent its upper end. This sleeve is located between the piston I2 and the cylinder I0, and is normally urged downwardly in any suitable manner, such as by a spring 22. A cam 23 connected for rotation by the crank shaft in any suitable manner, is adapted to raise the sleeve 20 upwardly at predetermined intervals, to move its ports 2I out of registry with the ports I8. An exhaust port 28 is formed in the outer head I5, and an air inlet port 25 is formed in the inner head I6. A tube 26 extends outwardly from the port 25 through the chamber I1 and the head I5, so that the inlet port communicates with the atmosphere outside the cylinder and with the interior of the latter. Fuel is suplied to the cylinder by means of an injector 21. The ports 24 and 25, are controlled by valves 28 and 38, respectively, which are operated by cams connected for rotation to the crank shaft. If desired, baffies 3| may be provided in the chamber H (see Figure 2), in order to impart a substantially rotary or whirling motion to the air passing from the chamber through the ports I8 into the cylinder.

In operation, during the complete intake stroke the air inlet port 25 is open, but the ports I8 are closed by the sleeve 20, and then the port 25 closes while the ports I8 are opened during the first part of the compression stroke (Figure 1). The ports I8 are open when the ports 2| of the sleeve are brought into registry therewith. This permits a certain amount of the air charge to be compressed in the air chamber I7. At a pre- ,of compression after closure of port I8 and by der drops below that in the air chamber, the

ports it are opened. This allows compressed air in chamber H to pass into the cylinder Ill above the piston II. If the bafiles 3! are employed, the

whirling motion of the air tends to keep it towards the cylinder walls. Furthermore, this opening of the ports l8 increases the volume of the air above the piston, without reducing the pressure thereof. The ports l8 remainopen and the port 2 is opened near the end of the work stroke, and remains open during the exhaust stroke so that the exhaust gases pass through the chamber l1 andout through the exhaust port. At least some of the heat of the exhaust gases is retained by the walls of the air chamber, to be transferred to the next charge of air received by the chamber to increase to some extent the pressure thereof.

As stated above, the air entering the cylinder from the air chamber is drawn downwardly along the walls, and thus assists in preventing heat loss through said walls. It is true that this air may tend to lower the general temperature, but the heat is not lost and therefore it is still available. With the increased volume of air, the pressure in the cylinder does not drop as rapidly as it would otherwise do,-so that there is a greater average pressure on the piston throughout the power stroke. The pressure at the time the exhaust valve is opened might be increased, but this would not represent a'greater loss of power than in the engines now in use, since the increase is merely a saving or conservation of energy.

As the exhaust gases leave at least some heat in the walls of the air chamber and in the baflies when they P therethrough, this heat helps to some extent to increase the pressure of the fresh air supplied to said chamber. The pressure of this air is again increased by heat from the firing chamber which is transferred through the inner head it. In other words, the pressure of the air in the chamber I1 is increased while it remains therein, and this increase is due merely to the utilization of heat which is ordinarily lost.

with this invention, less fuel may be used to produce a required horse power, since there is a smaller amount of air under compression when the firing takes place, and therefore it is necessary to reduce the quantity of fuel in order to maintain the proper ratio between the air and fuel to give the most efiicient explosive mixture. Anotheradvantage is that by adding preheated air to the cylinder during the power stroke, more completecombustion of the fuel is obtained. It is also possible that the temperature may be lower at the time of exhausting since with the smaller quantity of fuel, the combustion is completed earlier during the power stroke.

In the variation of Figures 4 to 6, .the air chamber I1 is divided by a baflle plate 34 spaced between the heads l and it, into upper and lower chambers 35 and 36, respectively. The upper chamber 35 communicates with the interior of In'this alternative, the air enters the lower chamber 36 through the ports ll during the first part of the compression stroke, and then at a predetermined time'after firing, the air is drawn back into the cylinder through the ports 31 when are in registry therewith.

' air in the chamber II at a higher pressure.

Refer'ringto the form of the invention illustrated in Figures 8, 9, and 10, an outer cylinder II is constructed around the inner cylinder II, but the former terminates below the ports II. The interior of the cylinder 40 communicates with the air chamber l1 and the atmosphere outside the engine by means of ports II and 42, respectively, which are controlled by the respective cam-operated valves 48 and ll. An outer piston 45 adapted to operate in the cylinder II, is connected to the crank shaft I 4 in such a manner, that it usually follows the movement of the inner or working piston l2, see Figure 8. A large spring 22 is used located at the top of the sleeve 20, said spring lying between the top of the sleeve and the head I 5.

This latter alternative functions very much in the same manner as that of Figures 1 to 3, with the exception that the'piston 45 compresses more In this case, the ports I8 may be opened during the power stroke, to permit additional air to enter the cylinder Ill under relatively high pressure. This air has all the advantages pointed out above, as well as supplying more power to the working piston.

The cycle of the piston 12 is the same as described, and the cycle of the piston 45 is as follows. During the intake stroke of the working piston, the outer piston draws air into the cylinder 40 through the open port 42. On the compression stroke, the port 42 is closed and the port II is open, so that air is directed into the chamber I! from the outer cylinder. The piston 45 may travel approximately to the top of its cylinder or, as preferred, it may stop at a point spaced from said top. The port II is closed during the power stroke, while the port 42 is opened during said stroke in order to prevent the formation of a partial vacuum in the outer cylinder. The port 42 remains open'during the exhauststroke.

This invention is chiefly designed as a Dieseltype engine, but the alternative of Figures 8, 9 and 10 may be used as a gasoline engine by providing a spark plug in place of the fuel nozzle 21, and admitting vaporized fuel to the cylinder during the suction stroke. In this case, the ports l8 would have to remain closed on the compres-' sion stroke in order to prevent the explosive mixture from entering the air chamber.

Various modifications may be made in this invention without departing from the spirit thereof or the scope of the claims and, therefore, the exact forms shown are to be taken as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense, and it is desired that only such limitations shall be placed thereon as are disclosed in the priorart, or are set forth in the accompanying claims.

I claim:

1. An internal combustion engine comprising a cylinder, a piston working in the cylinder, means for supplying fuel and air to the cylinder, an air chamber communicating with the cylinder adjacent the top thereof, said chamber being adapted to store compressed air, means for supplying fuel directly to the cylinder, a valvecontrolled exhaust port in the chamber through which the exhaust gases are expelled from the cylinder, a sleeve mounted in the cylinder between the wall of the latter and the piston, a plurality of ports in the sleeve adjacent the upper end thereof, and means for reciprocating the sleeve and its ports to bring the air chamber into communication with the cylinder at predetermined intervals.

2. An internal combustion engine comprising a cylinder, a piston working in the cylinder, means for supplying pure air to the cylinder, an air chamber formed on the top of the cylinder, said chamber being adapted to store compressed air from the cylinder, means'for injecting solid fuel into said pure air, a plurality of ports in the cylinder wall at the upper end thereof by means of which the chamber communicates with the cylinder, a valve-controlled exhaust port through which exhaust gases are expelled from the cylinder, a sleeve mounted in the cylinder, between the wall of the latter and the piston, a plurality of ports in the sleeve adjacent the upper end thereof, and means for reciprocating the sleeve to move its ports into and out of registry with the ports in the cylinder wall at predetermined times, whereby the air chamber may bebrought into and out of communication with the cylinder.

3. An internal combustion engine comprising a cylinder, a piston working in the cylinder, means for supplying pure air to the cylinder, an air chamber formed on the top of the cylinder, said chamber being adapted to store compressed air from the cylinder, means for injecting solid fuel into said pure air, a plurality of ports in the cylinder wall at the upper end thereof by means of which the chamber communicates with the cylinder, a valve-controlled exhaust port in the chamber through which exhaust gases from the cylinder are expelled, a sleeve mounted in the cylinder between the wall of the latter and the piston, a plurality of ports in the sleeve adjacent the upper end thereof, and means for reciprocating the sleeve to move its ports into and out of registry with the ports in the cylinder wall at predetermined times, said reciprocating means being adapted to bring the air chamber into communication with the cylinder during part of the compression and power strokes and substantially the entire exhaust stroke.

4. An internal combustion engine comprising inner and outer cylinders, inner and outer pistons working in said cylinders respectively, means for supplying fuel and air to the inner cylinder, means for supplying air to the outer chamber, an air chamber communicating with both cylinders adjacent the tops thereof, said chamber being adapted to store compressed air, a valve-controlled exhaust port through which the exhaust gases are expelled from the inner cylinder, valve means for independently controlling the communication of the air chamber with each cylinder, and means for opening and closing the valve means of each cylinder at predetermined intervals.

5. An internal combustoin engine comprising inner and outer cylinders, inner and outer pistons working in said cylinders respectively, means for supplying fuel and air to the inner cylinder, means for supplying air to the outer chamber, an air chamber communicating with both cylinders adjacent the tops thereof, said chamber being adapted to store compressed air, a valvecontrolled exhaust port through which the exhaust gases are expelled from the inner cylinder, valve means for independently controlling the communication of the air chamber with each cylinder, and means for opening the valve means of the inner cylinder during the power stroke of its piston to permit the air of the chamber to enter the cylinder, the-valve means of the outer cylinder being closed at this time.

6. An internal combustion engine comprising inner and outer cylinders, inner and outer pistons working in said cylinders respectively, means for supplying fuel and air to the inner cylinder, means for supplying air to the outer chamber, an air chamber communicating with both cylinders adjacent the tops thereof, said chamber being adapted to store compressed air, a valve controlled exhaust port in the chamber through which exhaust gases from the inner cylinder are expelled, valve means for independently controlling the communication of the air chamber with each cylinder, means for opening the valve means of the inner cylinder during the power and exhaust strokes of the inner piston respectively, and means for opening the valve means-of the outer cylinder during the compression stroke of the outer piston.

'7. An internal combustion engine comprising inner and outer cylinders, inner and outer pistons working in said cylinders respectively, means for supplying fuel and air to the inner cylinder, means for supplying air to the outer chamber, an air chamber formed on the top of the cylinders and communicating with both cylinders adjacent the tops thereof, said chamber being adapted to store compressed air from the cylinders, a valve-controlled exhaust port through which exhaust gases from the inner cylinder are expelled, valve means for independently controlling the communication of the air chamber with each cylinder, and means for opening the valve means of both cylinders during at least part of the compression stroke to compress air in the air chamber, the valve means of the inner chamber being open during at least part of the power stroke to permit air to enter the cylinder from the chamber.

8. An internal combustion engine comprising inner and outer cylinders, inner and outer pistons working in said cylinders respectively, means for supplying fuel and air to the inner cylinder, means for supplying air to theouter chamber, an air chamber adapted to store compressed air, ports in the inner and outer cylinder walls by means of which the air chamber communicates with said cylinders, a valve-controlled exhaust port through which exhaust gases from the inner cylinder are expelled, a valve controlling the port between the air chamber and the outer cylinder, means for operating the valve, a sleeve mounted in the inner cylinder between the latter and its piston, a plurality of ports in the sleeve adjacent the upper end thereof, and means for reciprocating the sleeve to bring the ports thereof into registry with the ports in the cylinder wall at predetermined intervals.

9. An internal combustion engine comprising a cylinder, a piston working in the cylinder, means for supplying air to the cylinder, an air chamber formed on top of the cylinder adapted to store compressed air, said cylinder having a plurality of ports in the wall thereof adjacent its upper end communicating with the chamber,

means for supplying fuel directly to the, cylinder, a valve-controlled port in the chamber through which exhaust gases are expelled Irom the cylinder, a sleeve mounted in the cylinder between the wall of the latter and the piston, a plurality of ports in the sleeve adjacent the upper end thereof, means for reciprocating the sleeve to move its ports into registry with the ports in the cylinder wall to bring the air chamber into communication with the cylinder at predetermined intervals, some air being compressed in the air chamber during the compression stroke, and a plurality of angularly-set bailies in the 'chamber opposite the cylinder ports, said baffles imparting a whirling motion to the compressed air when the latter passes back into the cylinder.

10. An internal combustion engine comprising a cylinder, a piston working in the cylinder, means for supplying pure air to the cylinder, an air chamber formed on the top of the cylinder, a baffle plate between the top of the cylinder and the chamber wall dividing the air chamber into upper and lower chambers, an opening in the baiiie substantially centrally thereof. said upper and lower chambers being adapted to store compressed air from the cylinder, means for injecting solid fuel into said pure air, a plurality of ports in the cylinder wall at the upper end thereof by means of which thelower chamber communicates with the cylinder, a plurality of ports below said ports through which the upper chamber communicates with the cylinder, a valve-controlled exhaust port in the upper chamber through which exhaust gases from the cylinder are expelled, a sleeve mounted in the cylinder between the wall of the latter and the piston, a plurality of ports in the sleeve spaced from the upper end thereof, and means for reciprocating the sleeve to move its ports into and out of registry with the lower portsof the cylinder wall and to clear the upper end of the sleeve from the upper ports at predetermined times, whereby the air chamber may be brought into and out of communication with the cylinder.

CLARENCE RICHARD SMITH. 

